Tens of thousands of French protesters heed call by Yellow Vest organizers

Édité par Ed Newman
2019-06-24 13:27:37

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Paris, June 24 (RHC)-- The 32nd week of Yellow Vest protests Saturday recovered some of what the media has recently reported as flagging numbers and waning interest, with leaders calling for a revival this weekend to “blockade France” with the intent of “affecting the economy."

Earlier this month, on June 1st, Reuters reported that numbers of protestors attending the rally “hit fresh lows” which the news agency attributes to “measures taken by French President Emmanuel Macron to quell public anger, such as tax cuts to boost consumers’ spending power.”

The number of protesters grew this Saturday, with thousands heeding the call in an attempt to bring France to a standstill.  Protesters in attendance, however, were still far below their peak in November 2018 when 300,000 people marched in France, taking over streets and plazas, blocking traffic circles, and engaging police in battle to express their disgust with the exorbitantly high living costs and increasing burdens to the working class in France.

One language arts teacher attending the protests expressed her continued anger at the state and the French elite despite Macron’s concessions, saying, “We (the state) don't provide money to hospitals … or schools. … (The elite) talk to people like they’re idiots and tell them that they need to try harder.”  She continued by assailing those who aren’t affected by the reduction of public services like public schools and hospitals. “That's why (we protest), we're against the breaking down of public services," she said.

“Act 32” of the Yellow Vest protests were mostly peaceful with some roadblocks being reporting in the southwestern department of Ariege where motorists and delivery trucks were forced to turn around at a roundabout blockaded by pallets and banners on the main access route.

In Toulouse, protesters were repeatedly dislodged by police when attempting to assemble barricades, and eventually succeeded in blocking the entrance to a mall, stranding shoppers for 13 hours.

As media predicts its demise, leaders of the movement are re-assessing their strategy, as evidenced by a banner reading: "We must weigh on the economy, since that’s the only way they’ll understand."

 



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